£249,910 National Lottery Heritage Fund boost for venue volunteers programme

CHARITY Hampshire Cultural Trust has been awarded £249,910 to continue the development of its volunteering programme.

This is the third round of funding that HCT has received from The National Lottery Heritage Fund through the Heritage Innovation Fund programme to develop the volunteering opportunities it offers.

During the first two phases, funded to the tune of £25,000 and £75,000, HCT explored the challenge of attracting volunteers post Covid and how it could build on and expand its existing volunteer programme.

HCT is one of just 13 organisations in the UK to have been successful with funding for all three stages of the Heritage Innovation Fund, established to support organisations in the heritage sector tackle common workforce challenges.

It currently has more than 400 volunteers undertaking a wide variety of roles at its attractions, museums, galleries and arts centres across the county, ranging from providing a welcome for visitors, to maintaining gardens and caring for historical collections.

With the first two phases – ‘Explore’ and ‘Test’ – of the funding now complete, the final ‘Grow’ phase gets under way this year and will last for two years.

The overall aim is to continue to improve the volunteering experience at HCT through developing more flexible volunteering roles, for example, for those people who also work; by diversifying who volunteers, with a particular emphasis on attracting more young people and by helping those who want to enter or get back into employment develop their skills through volunteering.

Director of People at Hampshire Cultural Trust Anne Horn said: “We have an absolutely fantastic team of talented, passionate and dedicated volunteers at Hampshire Cultural Trust, who support our work in so many ways. But we recognise that there is so much more that we can offer to people who want to volunteer with us, and thanks to National Lottery players and the Heritage Innovation Fund, we will now be able to develop roles that fit around people’s working lives, increase the number of young people who volunteer with us and help people develop those key skills they need to get into work.”

The trust manages and supports visitor attractions, museums, art galleries and arts centres across Hampshire, delivers countywide outreach programmes and care for 2.5 million objects relating to Hampshire’s rich heritage.